A tragic midair collision occurred late Wednesday, between an American Airlines regional jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., resulting in 67 fatalities. As of Friday, 41 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River, with 28 identified.
The American Airlines flight, carrying 64 people, including 60 passengers and 4 crew members, was approaching Reagan National Airport when it collided with the Black Hawk helicopter, which had 3 soldiers on board.
Among the victims were several members of the figure skating community, including Russian World Champion figure skaters Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, who were returning from a developmental camp in Wichita, Kansas.
The cause of the collision is still under investigation, but concerns have been raised about staffing levels at the air traffic control tower and the complexity of the airspace around Reagan National Airport.
The recovery efforts are ongoing, with a crane being brought in to assist in the operation, and the FAA has restricted helicopter flights near Reagan National Airport indefinitely.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and expects to have a preliminary report within 30 days.
President Donald Trump has confirmed that there were no survivors and has called the incident a "tragedy of terrible proportions," while Democrats have criticized his response to the disaster, accusing him of "exploiting" the tragedy for political gain
